About Us

Growing Innovation in Therapeutic Solutions

At Bambusa Therapeutics, we draw inspiration from nature’s most resilient and adaptable plant — bamboo. Just as bamboo grows with remarkable speed, strength, and flexibility, we cultivate breakthrough therapeutic solutions and rapidly adapt to meet the evolving needs of patients and healthcare providers.

Our Mission

We are dedicated to developing innovative bispecific antibodies for immunological and inflammatory (I&I) disorders that transform patient outcomes and enhance quality of life. Founded with a belief that the I&I field is long overdue for innovative approaches and transformative therapeutics, we leverage validated targets through cutting-edge antibody engineering to create best-in-disease therapies for multiple I&I indications.

Our Philosophy

Like bamboo — fast-growing yet deeply rooted — we balance scientific rigor with relentless execution. Our philosophy is simple: ground every step in strong science, move with urgency, and never lose sight of the patients we serve. 

We believe in:

Accelerated Innovation

We advance breakthrough therapies at the pace patients deserve — fast, focused, and fearless

Platform Excellence

We engineer versatile solutions that unlock therapeutic potential across multiple disease areas

Transformative Patient Outcomes

We aim not just to treat, but to redefine standards of care — creating therapies that fundamentally change lives across different age groups and for the long term

Strategic Partnerships

We forge alliances with leading researchers, clinicians, and patient communities to amplify impact

Our Team

Shanshan Xu, MD, PhD

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Thang Ho, PhD

Co-Founder & Chief Development Officer

Jon Lieber

Chief Financial Officer

Crystal MacKay

Chief Operating Officer

Wenbing Hu, PhD

Vice President, Head of CMC

Melody Zhu, PhD

Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy

Jingjing Jiang, MD, PhD

Senior Director, Development Sciences

Lisa Li, MD

Senior Director, Clinical Operations

Mike Malynn

Director, Finance

Board of Directors

Shanshan Xu, MD, PhD

Founder & Chief Executive Officer

Helmut Jeggle

Co-Founder

Derek DiRocco

Board Member

Howard Liang, PhD, MBA

Board Member

Christian Foerster

Board Member

Scientific Advisory Board

Stefan Oschmann, PhD

Scientific Advisor

Ian Pavord, MA, DM, FRCP, FERS, FMedSci

Scientific Advisor

Eric Simpson, MD, MCR

Scientific Advisor

Bing Yao, PhD

Scientific Advisor

Looking Forward

From our home in Boston’s Seaport, we are building more than a pipeline — we are building momentum for lasting change in immunology and inflammation. Guided by innovation, integrity, and impact, Bambusa is committed to advancing therapies that go beyond treatment, cultivating a future where patients worldwide can live healthier, fuller lives.

Investors

Bambusa is based in Boston, MA and financed by leading Life Science and Tech investors including RA Capital Management, Janus Henderson Investors, Redmile Group, Invus, ADAR1 Capital Management, Salvia GmbH, BVF Partners, Dawn Biopharma (KKR), Athos KG, and INCE Capital.

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Collaborate and grow with us.

At Bambusa, we believe breakthroughs happen when great minds come together. Whether through partnerships, research collaborations, or investment, we invite you to join us in advancing a bispecific antibody pipeline designed to tackle the toughest challenges in immunology and inflammation.

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Shanshan Xu, MD, PhD

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Shanshan Xu, MD, PhD, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bambusa. Shanshan founded Bambusa with a belief that the I&I field is long overdue for innovative approaches and transformative cutting-edge solutions.

Prior to founding Bambusa, Shanshan served as Head of Global External Innovations at BioNTech, where she and her team sourced and executed 13 strategic partnerships and acquisitions to expand BNT’s pipeline. Her most notable accomplishment was identifying and acquiring Biotheus, which brought BNT327 (now partnered with BMS in a deal valued up to $11.1B). In addition, she identified the I&I molecules within Biotheus that ultimately became the foundation of Bambusa. Her portfolio also included the Duality, MediLink and OncoC4 partnerships, Tier 1 oncology programs. Before joining BioNTech in 2020, Shanshan worked on Wall Street as a Research Analyst.

Originally from Harbin, China, Shanshan spent almost half of her life in Mainland China, where she received her medical degree. She also holds a Ph.D. from UC-Irvine and an MBA from MIT. 

Thang Ho, PhD

Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer

Thang Ho, Ph.D. is the Co-Founder and Chief Development Officer at Bambusa, where he leads an integrated team spanning preclinical research, translational medicine, toxicology, and clinical pharmacology while playing a critical role in shaping the company’s strategy across U.S. and global programs. Prior to Bambusa, Thang served as Director of Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacometrics at BioNTech, leading clinical pharmacology strategies for innovative programs including cell and gene therapies and immuno-oncology agents. His career also includes scientific roles at Takeda, CytomX, and Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Trained as a systems pharmacologist and engineer, Thang holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, and earned his B.S. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. Originally from Da Nang, Viet Nam, Thang is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Jon Lieber

Chief Financial Officer

Jonathan I. Lieber, MBA, is Chief Financial Officer of Bambusa Therapeutics. Jonathan brings more than 30 years of financial, strategic, and business experience across the life sciences industry.

Jonathan joined Bambusa from Rallybio Corporation, where he has served as Chief Financial Officer since 2023. Previously, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation and as a Managing Director at Danforth Advisors, where he provided strategic and operational financial leadership to life sciences companies. Earlier in his career, Jonathan served as Chief Financial Officer of Histogenics Corporation, Metamark Genetics, Repligen Corporation, Xcellerex, and Altus Pharmaceuticals. He began his career in healthcare investment banking at Salomon Brothers/Salomon Smith Barney and Cowen and Company/SG Cowen.

Jonathan currently serves on the boards of directors of Decoy Therapeutics, MindWalk Holdings, and Zola Therapeutics. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration and Finance from Boston University and an MBA in Finance from New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business.

Crystal MacKay

Chief Operating Officer

Crystal MacKay is the Chief Operating Officer at Bambusa. Crystal brings extensive healthcare experience to her current role, having previously served as a Director of Healthcare Investment Banking at BTIG, where she was responsible for transaction execution in the Life Science & Diagnostic Tools and Medical Technology sectors. Crystal built operational expertise through leadership roles at innovative healthcare companies, including Oxford Immunotec, where she played a key role in strategic initiatives during the company’s transition, Strata Pathology Services, and Calloway Laboratories, where she served on the Board of Directors. 

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Crystal holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Communications from the University of Massachusetts and maintains securities licenses including SIE, Series 79, and Series 63.

Wenbing Hu, PhD

Vice President, Head of CMC

Wenbing Hu, PhD, is Vice President and Head of CMC at Bambusa Therapeutics. Wenbing brings extensive expertise in biologics CMC development and manufacturing, previously serving as Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Development at Ansun Biopharma, where he led CMC activities for late-stage clinical trials. Prior to Ansun, Wenbing held leadership roles at Sorrento Therapeutics, overseeing analytical development, quality control, and formulation, and successfully advanced multiple antibody and mRNA projects through clinical phases. His deep experience spans from early-stage CMC development to global regulatory filings and GMP manufacturing operations.

Based in San Diego, California, Wenbing earned his PhD in Analytical Chemistry from the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Melody Zhu, PhD

Vice President, Corporate Development and Strategy

Melody (Yun) Zhu, PhD, is the Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy at Bambusa Therapeutics. Melody brings extensive cross-functional experience spanning R&D, business strategy, and external innovation across the pharmaceutical and biotech industries. Prior to joining Bambusa, Melody served as Director of External Innovations at BioNTech in Shanghai, where she led the search and evaluation of potential in-licensing opportunities, including assets from Duality and MediLink. Melody also held leadership roles at Sanofi driving portfolio development across Immunology & Inflammation and Oncology, contributing to programs including Dupixent and Itepekimab. She began her career in strategy consulting with Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and IQVIA.

Originally from China, Melody earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and her B.S. in Biochemistry from Nanjing University.

Jingjing Jiang, MD, PhD

Senior Director, Development Sciences

Dr. Jingjing Jiang is Senior Director of Development Sciences at Bambusa Therapeutics. With expertise in translational research and development sciences, she has a strong track record of building R&D teams, advancing therapeutic platforms, and bridging preclinical and clinical research. Jingjing has held roles at biotech companies of various sizes, including Poseida Therapeutics, contributing to innovative drug development across multiple therapeutic modalities.

Jingjing holds an M.D. from Zhejiang University and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from UC Irvine.

Lisa Li, MD

Senior Director, Clinical Operations

Lisa Li is a Senior Director, Clinical Operations at Bambusa. Lisa brings extensive clinical operations expertise to her current role, with experience spanning a broad range of therapeutic areas, including infectious disease, dermatology, oncology, pain, rare disease, In addition to operational leadership, Lisa also contributed to corporate strategic initiatives, including supporting the sale of clinical assets during company restructuring at Vital Therapies.

Originally from Beijing, China, Lisa holds a medical degree and earned an MSc in Human Nutrition from the University of Glasgow. She is currently based in San Diego, California.

Mike Malynn

Director, Finance

Mike Malynn is Director, Finance at Bambusa. Mike brings seven years of finance and operations experience scaling biotech companies and drives Bambusa’s financial strategy to support our mission of delivering transformative treatments. Prior to joining Bambusa, Mike led U.S. operations and supported portfolio companies from inception through seed stage as Finance Manager at Gordian Ventures. He was also the first finance employee at Silicon Therapeutics, where he built the finance function and helped drive the company’s acquisition by Roivant Sciences.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Mike holds a B.S.B.A in Business Economics from Suffolk University, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

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Howard Liang, PhD, MBA

Board Member

Howard Liang, PhD, MBA, most recently served as President and Chief Financial Officer of Tessera Therapeutics, where he played a key role in the company’s strategy and growth, advancing the organization from the platform stage to clinical development. Prior to Tessera, Howard served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at BeiGene (now BeOne Medicines) for six years, helping transform the company from a research organization with fewer than 200 employees into a fully integrated global biotechnology company with more than 6,000 employees across five continents. He also led BeiGene’s three IPOs on NASDAQ and the Hong Kong and Shanghai stock exchanges, raising more than $11 billion through equity and other financings.

Earlier in his career, Howard spent 15 years as a Wall Street biotechnology analyst, including as Managing Director and Head of Biotechnology Equity Research at Leerink Partners. He began his career in drug discovery research at Abbott Laboratories (now AbbVie). Howard currently serves on the Board of Tenacia Biotechnology and previously served as a member of the inaugural Biotech Advisory Panel of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

Howard received his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and MBA from the University of Chicago and his BS in Chemistry from Peking University.

Christian Foerster

Board Member

Christian Foerster is Managing Director at ATHOS, a large family office based in Munich, Germany, where he oversees investments and board governance across a portfolio of healthcare, biotechnology, and technology companies. He has more than 20 years of global leadership experience spanning operations, finance, transformation, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

Prior to joining ATHOS, Christian held senior executive roles at Nokia, serving as Chief Operating Officer of Cloud and Network Services and Chief Operating Officer of Enterprise, where he was responsible for multi-billion-euro businesses, large global teams, and complex transformation programs. Earlier in his career, he held international leadership positions in delivery operations, supply chain, and finance across Europe and Asia.

Christian received his degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Munich University of Applied Sciences. He also completed additional studies at the University of London and executive education at Duke University.

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Stefan Oschmann, PhD

Scientific Advisor

Stefan Oschmann, PhD, is a highly experienced executive in the fields of biopharma, life science tools, and specialty chemicals. He served as Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of Merck KGaA, where he successfully led the transformation of the company into a leading science and technology company. During his tenure, Merck developed and launched two blockbuster products in neuroscience and oncology.

Prior to leading Merck KGaA, Stefan served in senior leadership roles at Merck & Co. (MSD), including President of Emerging Markets and President of Europe, Middle East, and Africa. He began his career in research and development at MSD and previously worked in a research role at the International Atomic Energy Agency. Stefan also served as Chairman of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA). Following his retirement from Merck, he served as Chairman of UCB and AiCuris and became a Partner at Armira, a private equity firm.

Stefan serves on several advisory and supervisory boards, providing strategic guidance to companies ranging from high-growth startups to established enterprises. He is Chairman of CPTx, Chairman of Qanatpharma, and a member of the Board of Directors of Reckitt and Springer Nature. Stefan received his DVM from the University of Munich.

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Ian Pavord, MA, DM, FRCP, FERS, FMedSci

Scientific Advisor

Ian Pavord, MA, DM, FRCP, FERS, FMedSci, is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford and Honorary Consultant Physician at Oxford University Hospitals. He is a member of Congregation at the University of Oxford and a Professorial Fellow of St Edmund Hall. Previously, Ian served as Consultant Physician at the Institute for Lung Health, Glenfield Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust from 1995 and as Honorary Professor of Medicine from 2005 to 2013. He was elected an NIHR Senior Investigator in 2011 and 2014, an inaugural Fellow of the European Respiratory Society in 2014, and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2015.

Ian’s research focuses on the clinical aspects of inflammatory airway diseases, where he has pioneered the use of non-invasive measures of airway inflammation in the assessment of these conditions. He has identified a number of clinically important phenotypes of inflammatory airway disease, discovered clinically important biomarkers, and played a lead role in the clinical development of three of the most promising new treatments for severe airway disease.

Ian previously served as Co-Editor of Thorax from 2010 to 2015, Chief Medical Officer of Asthma UK from 2008 to 2014, Associate Editor of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine from 2005 to 2010, and Associate Editor of the European Respiratory Journal from 2016 to 2023. He is the author of more than 680 publications and has an H-index of 154, making him the highest-cited researcher in asthma worldwide. Ian received the European Respiratory Society Gold Medal in 2016 for his research, delivered the Cournand Lecture at the 2004 European Respiratory Society meeting, and chaired the 2017 Lancet Commission on Asthma.

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Eric Simpson, MD, MCR

Scientific Advisor

Eric Simpson, MD, MCR, is the Frances J. Storrs Medical Dermatology Professor, Director of the CLEAR Eczema Center, and Director of Clinical Trials in the Department of Dermatology at Oregon Health & Science University. He practices medical dermatology with a special focus on chronic inflammatory skin diseases and skin cancer. Eric is actively involved in clinical research and is currently funded by the National Institutes of Health and industry partners to study new approaches to the treatment and prevention of chronic skin diseases.

Eric’s research collaborations are global in scope, and he has been invited to present his work and approach to patient care at international conferences throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. He has published more than 400 scientific articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet.

Eric is committed to advancing patient advocacy and improving the quality of clinical research. He serves as Co-Chair of Harmonizing Outcome Measures in Eczema (HOME), a volunteer collaboration of patients, providers, and other stakeholders dedicated to improving eczema research to better meet the needs of patients and policymakers. He also serves as Chair of the National Eczema Association Research Advisory Committee.

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Bing Yao, PhD

Scientific Advisor

Bing Yao, PhD, is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Arrivent Biopharma, a company he co-founded to accelerate the global development of medicines for cancer patients. Prior to Arrivent, Bing was Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Founder of Viela Bio until its acquisition by Horizon Therapeutics in March 2021 for $3.05 billion.

Prior to Viela Bio, Bing served as Senior Vice President, Research & Development and Head of Respiratory, Inflammation & Autoimmunity at MedImmune from 2010 to 2018. He also served as Senior Vice President and Head of the Immuno-Oncology Franchise at AstraZeneca. During his tenure at MedImmune and AstraZeneca, Bing played key leadership roles in the development and approval of six novel biologics for autoimmune, respiratory, and immuno-oncology indications. Earlier in his career, he led the Project Team Leaders group for Immunology, Neurosciences, Virology, and Metabolism at Genentech and previously served as Vice President, Head of Research, and Corporate Officer at Tanox prior to its acquisition by Genentech. Bing also held key leadership roles at Aventis and Amgen.

Bing received his PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Iowa in 1994. He currently serves on the boards of directors of several public and private companies.

Todd James

Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Todd R. James serves as Chief Financial Officer of Bambusa Therapeutics, where he leads the company’s finance organization, capital markets strategy, and investor relations.

Prior to joining Bambusa, Mr. James founded TRJ BioAdvisors, where he advised biotechnology CEOs and Boards on capital markets strategy, investor relations, corporate communications, and special situations including mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism defense, and clinical data disclosures.

Previously, Mr. James served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Investor Relations at Viridian Therapeutics. Earlier, he held leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Acceleron Pharma, where he was a member of the Executive Committee and built the company’s investor relations, corporate communications, and broader external stakeholder engagement functions. During his tenure, he supported multiple public equity financings totaling more than $1 billion prior to the company’s $11.5 billion acquisition by Merck.

Earlier in his career, Mr. James served as a Senior Vice President at The Trout Group / Trout Capital and began his career at Thomson Financial providing capital markets intelligence to publicly traded biotechnology companies.

Mr. James has been recognized multiple times by Institutional Investor as a member of the All-America Executive Team for excellence in biotechnology investor relations. He holds a B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Finance from Moravian University.

Jen Salstrom

Vice President, Clinical Development

Bio here.

BBT002

Type 2 (T2) inflammatory diseases are characterized by skewed T2 immune responses driven by T2 cytokines including IL-4, IL-13, and IL-5. In specifics, IL-4 and IL-13, acting through IL-4Rα, promote Th2 polarization, IgE production, barrier dysfunction, mucus hypersecretion, and tissue remodeling, while IL-5 sustains eosinophil maturation, survival, and effector damage. These cytokines drive T2 inflammation across the airways, skin, and gut, contributing to diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP), food allergy, chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU), and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), and making them key therapeutic targets1. Dual targeting IL-4Rα and IL-5 offers advantages over single targeting of IL-4Rα or IL-5 or upstream alarmin proteins (e.g., TSLP, IL-33) by preventing escape (or “leakage”2) of the downstream T2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-13 and IL-5) and providing complete inhibition of the pathogenic inflammation.

BBT002 blocks the entire spectrum of Type 2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-13, and IL-5) while incorporating Fc mutations that eliminate unwanted effector functions and extend half-life for longer dosing intervals. The dual targeting design positions it to provide more comprehensive benefits over current single targeting therapies across T2 inflammatory diseases, particularly those with significant eosinophilic inflammation, while eliminating the risk of eosinophilia associated with anti-IL-4Rα monotherapy.

  1. Nature Reviews Immunology: Allergy and Immunology Study (2025) — https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-025-01261-2
  2. Wiley Online Library: Allergy Journal Article (2023) — https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/all.16537

BBT001

BBT001 is a bispecific IgG1 antibody for Type 2 inflammatory dermatological conditions. Using a 2+2 format, it simultaneously engages IL-4Rα and IL-31 to deliver faster and synergistic efficacy compared to existing treatments.

The drug incorporates Fc modifications that enhance FcRn affinity and extend half-life, enabling longer dosing intervals.

BBT001’s innovation addresses a critical treatment gap. While targeting IL4/13 tackles the fundamental Th2 inflammatory cascade, it does not effectively reduce IL-31 levels, providing only slow, moderate itch relief. This leaves patients trapped in the destructive “itch-scratch cycle” where continuous scratching compromises skin barrier function and perpetuates inflammation.

BBT001’s direct IL-31 targeting is designed to immediately affect sensory nerves, rapidly reducing itchiness while accelerating skin lesion improvement. This dual-pathway approach promises to break the itch-scratch cycle more effectively than single-target therapies, potentially transforming treatment for Type 2 inflammatory dermatological conditions.

Shaoyang Yeh, DPhil

Associate Director, CMC

Shaoyang Yeh, DPhil, is Associate Director of CMC at Bambusa Therapeutics. Shaoyang brings extensive process development and CMC experience from leadership roles at MabPlex USA (antibody drug conjugates), Emergent BioSolutions (Phase III vaccines), and BioLegend/Revvity (diagnostic antibodies and reagents). At MabPlex, he worked directly with clients on process design, technology transfer, and regulatory filings for novel biologic products.

Based in San Diego, Shaoyang holds bachelor’s degrees in Bioengineering and Biology from UC San Diego, a master’s in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell, and a DPhil in Engineering Science from Oxford, focusing on tissue engineering and bioprocessing.

Tracy Ji, MD

Director, Clinical Operations

Xiaoping (Tracy) Ji, MD is a Director, Clinical Operations at Bambusa. Leveraging over 19 years of clinical trial experience in her strategic leadership role, she previously served as Project Director at LabCorp, managing global Phase I-III trials across Australia, USA, and EU. Prior to LabCorp, Tracy worked with several global pharmaceutical companies including GSK, Novartis, Roche, and Eisai, gaining extensive knowledge in trial management from both sponsor and CRO perspectives.

 Based in Beijing, China, Tracy holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Health from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, complemented by a Bachelor of Clinical Medicine from Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine.

Wei Liang, PhD

Director, Development Sciences

Wei Liang, Ph.D., is the Director, Development Sciences at Bambusa and brings over 13 years of post-Ph.D. research and development experience across multiple disease areas to his role. Wei previously served as the Associate Director, R&D at Ansun Biopharma, where he led the cell therapy R&D programs and contributed to the development of a biologic drug candidate. Prior to that, he served as Associate Director I at BioDuro-Sundia, where he rebuilt and led its Oncology San Diego division.

Wei earned his B.S. from the University of Science and Technology of China and completed his Ph.D. at the City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center. He continued his research training with postdoctoral work at City of Hope and UC, San Diego.

Wei Lin, MD ScM

Vice President, Clinical Development

Wei Lin, MD, ScM, is Vice President of Clinical Development at Bambusa. Wei brings extensive experience in clinical development across the I&I therapeutic area. Prior to joining Bambusa, she served as Senior Director and Clinical Lead at Everest Medicines, where she was responsible for the global development of a BTK inhibitor in glomerular diseases. Previously, she was Director and Clinical Lead at Pfizer, overseeing rheumatology and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) programs. There, she successfully led China’s Phase 3 development of tofacitinib for psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, resulting in NDA approvals. Her team also managed multiple clinical programs in systemic lupus erythematosus, ulcerative colitis, systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and dermatomyositis in China.

Originally from Xiamen, China, Wei earned her MD from Peking University and holds a ScM in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University.